Hellobee Boards

@Ajsmommy: there's Gastons Tavern but it's more snacks and beverages than a meal. It's worth a stop to use up snack credits (cinnamon buns, mmmm...Lefou's brew is also yummy). But I don't think you can use actual meal credits.

@Ajsmommy: I didn't write about the meals taking a long time, what I meant was that I wouldn't plan meals at different resorts on the same day. Like I would say Monday is Magic Kingdom, and I would do those meals all at MK...not lunch at MK then dinner at EPCOT for example. Going in between parks wastes a ton of time....but if you're really just going from meal to meal to see characters, then I suppose it doesn't really matter!

@looch: Eh, we resort hop for meals every trip, especially dinner. There are too many tasty options at Epcot to miss! Getting from MK or HS to Epcot is easy, and afternoon nap/pool breaks at the hotel are also good for a reset. Just leave plenty of time for travel and consider your family's tolerance for dealing with transportation. I understand your preference is different from mine, but it IS doable without much stress.

@Ajsmommy: You don't have any park hopping in your restaurant plans. You can take a bus from the Polynesian to HS the morning you eat at Ohana. Allow plenty of time to get to Ohana though. It took us an hour to get to a Polynesian breakfast from WL! I'd recommend cabbing it, but that's hard to do with carseats

Did you say you had an open MK lunch? We did Columbia House and it was quick and good. Also BOG was a great pitstop but I think you nailed that down another time.

@Ajsmommy: Yes, I'd definitely drive to Ohana if you have a car. Bussing between the hotels is more difficult in general because to usually have to transfer at a park or Disney Springs, and at breakfast time before parks open some of these may not be running yet.

I never have a car there, so I can't comment on how useful it is otherwise. At MK you'd need to park by the TTC and take the monorail or ferry to the park, so you might be better off taking the bus which drops you off right by the gate. Then again, my parents always preferred to take the ferry when we were young b/c they thought seeing the castle come into view over the lagoon was more magical. YMMV.

@Ajsmommy: Yes, parking was surprisingly close at the parks bc we would arrive a little before park opening. If you are staying at AK it is a tiny bit further from other parks so driving would be more efficient. Also it depends how far your car is from the parking at the hotel. We stayed in value hotels where you could park right outside the door of your room. MK parking is always far though because you have to go transportation center to park. It was only one day of our five day visit. If I had a choice I would do car. It also makes Disney Springs more accessible. We also ate offsite with local mexican food one night both years.
Funny story- LO and I rode on the Disney bus to the hotel last year while DH drove the rental car. (He was flying in from a different state so came on a slightly later flight anyway. ) I really wanted to experience the bus but only for a short while.

@Ajsmommy: I forgot to tell you the best princess breakfast tip- We got a Disney golden book (I am a Princess) from Wallmart before we left and all of the Princesses autographed on their own specific storybook page. LO loved reading that book for a long time when we got back. We even brought it out to read at her princess bday party. Anyway, all others signed on the inside covers. It is cheap, light and has a hardback cover so easy to write on. I slipped that in a gallon ziplock for protection with a sharpie and was always ready to go!!!! The princesses acted all excited when they saw their own page and was a good conversation starter. Also we brought our own tiara and packed a dress for those princess meals. Just changed in and out in the bathroom.

@808love: That's an excellent tip with meeting the princesses. Sometimes kids get nervous and aren't sure what to do when they see a character or princess, so having them be able to hand over something to sign breaks the ice.

If you think you might buy a princess dress at the parks, try to pack a gallon sized ziplock or larger plastic trash bag to pack it for the way home. Many of them have glitter on them - especially the red Elena of Avalor dresses and some of the Cinderella dresses. I speak from experience and my favorite suitcase still has glitter in it!

This is the book. We actually lost the first one and when we went back the second year, we re-did it! Ariel actually kissed our book and we had her lipstick print!

@Ajsmommy: book for 4. It's a head count thing for fire safety purposes.

@Ajsmommy: yes you will get an allotment for the whole stay and you are free to use them as you want. We often get a quick service meal our first night so that we can "double up" on table services another day.

At the bottom of every receipt you will see how many meals (credits) you have remaining for your stay. Be sure to check them as they did make a couple of errors last trip that I had to have fixed.